Falconidae—Falcons and Caracaras

This family has a long history of association with the Accipitridae and Cathartidae as a member
of the Falconiformes. Recent advances in taxonomy, however indicate that the Falconidae does not
share a close relationship with those families, being more closely related to the Psittaciformes.
Thus the Accipitridae and Cathartidae are now placed in an order of their own (Accipitriformes) and
the falcons are retained in the Falconiformes.

Falcons are, for the most part, fast-flying predators. The exception is the Crested Caracara,
which does a considerable amount of scavenging along with hunting and is more sedentary.

Caracara cheriway (Jacquin 1784)—Crested Caracara

Caracara taxonomy has changed considerably in recent years through splitting. Most of the
literature records of fossils from our region were under one of the synonyms noted above.

Caracaras belong to a different subfamily within the Falconidae from
those we think of as falcons. Rather than using swift flight to bring down prey, they tend to feed
on small ground prey and will readily feed on carrion.

Fig. 2. Image of a Caracara from a poster by Bob Hines, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.

In modern times, southern Arizona is inhabited and Crested Caracaras appear sporadically from Trans-Pecos Texas west to central California. In New Mexico, they have nested near Belen in the Rio Grande Valley near the center of the state
(Ligon 1961). They were common in southeastern New Mexico during the late Wisconsin (over 240
bones are catalogued from Dry Cave). It apparently nested within the entrance area of Dry Cave,
with both young and adults represented in the deposits.